Bike Reviews

After being discontinued in 2011, the Addict returns in a lighter, faster, less harsh, and more sophisticated package that has already shown its mettle: Orica-GreenEDGE's Simon Gerrans beat Peter Sagan on Stage 3 of last year's Tour de France riding a version of this model.

At just 727 grams for a 54cm frame, it's incredibly svelte--163 grams lighter than Scott's superaero Foil--yet 5.9 percent stiffer in the bottom bracket area than the previous Addict, says the company. To boost rigidity while shaving weight, Scott used pieces of ultra-high-modulus fibers on the frame. Though the tubes are not as rigid or aero as the Foil's, they were shaped using wind-tunnel data to reduce drag and improve their slipperiness in wind.

The company also optimized how the carbon was applied in key areas, especially in the seatpost and where the seatstays join the top tube. Those changes make the bike 39 percent more compliant than its predecessor, Scott says. That's enough movement to reduce the sting of pothole strikes, but the rear end never felt soft or flexy.

The Addict's combination of rigidity and light weight helped it fly up climbs. Whether I was seated or sawing away at the handlebar, this bike lunged forward with every pedal stroke, a trait I also noticed in sprints. Most impressive to me was the ride quality, which reminded me more of an exotic, handmade carbon dream bike than a pure racer--lively and at the same time forgiving. In rough corners that have upset other race bikes in past tests, the Addict would just glide through, establishing it as one of the smoothest-riding speed demons I've ever been on.

WIND-TUNNEL TESTED
To improve aerodynamics, Scott used its F01 partial airfoil technology on the Addict. This design eliminates the trailing edge of a traditional airfoil design, but retains the aerodynamic advantage of the full shape. Scott says the frame is 13.2 percent more aero than the previous version, which would mean you could use up to 7.8 watts less to maintain 28 mph.—Ron Koch